Butterfly garden honors girl known as ‘so nice and always helpful.'

Suzy Bianchi-Peters (center) becomes emotional during as fifth-graders from Alamo Heights Elementary sing "Happy Birthday" in honor of Bianchi-Peters' granddaughter, Sammy Ochoa, during a butterfly garden dedication to Ochoa on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. Ochoa was slain last month along with her mother and her mother's roommate at their home. Fifth graders wanted to remember their departed classmate with a butterfly garden. Bianchi-Peters was joined by friends including eight-year-old Maya Osander-Covarrubias (right), a family friend, at the garden. The dedication was held on what would have been Ochoa's 11th birthday.

Photo By Kin Man Hui/Kin Man Hui/kmhui@express-news.net

Alamo Heights Elementary principal David MacRoberts hugs Suzy Bianchi-Peters during a dedication of a butterfly garden to Bianchi-Peter's granddaughter, Sammy Ochoa, who attended the school. Last month, Ochoa was slain along with her mother and her mother's roommate. The fifth-grade students created the garden to pay homage to Ochoa on the day that would have been her 11th birthday on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. MacRoberts was holding a photograph taken by Bianchi-Peters of her granddaughter who was holding a butterfly in her hand.

Photo By Kin Man Hui/Kin Man Hui/kmhui@express-news.net

A placard is seen in a garden dedicated to Sammy Ochoa as Alamo Heights Elementary fifth-grade students pay homage to their slain classmate on the day that would have been her 11th birthday on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. Ochoa and her mother along with her mother's roommate were slain at their home last month. Fifth-graders created the butterfly garden in memory of Ochoa.

Photo By Kin Man Hui/Kin Man Hui/kmhui@express-news.net

Alamo Heights Elementary fifth grade students pay homage to classmate Sammy Ochoa on the day that would have been her 11th birthday with a dedication of a butterfly garden at the school on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. Ochoa and her mother along with her mother's roommate were slain at their home last month.

On what should have been the 11th birthday of Samvastion “Sammy” Ochoa, her grandmother took some comfort.

Suzy Bianchi-Peters secured custody of Sammy's remains Friday in probate court. And she attended the dedication of a butterfly garden at Sammy's elementary school in honor of her memory.

Bianchi-Peters, 51, has emerged as a family spokeswoman since the Sept. 14 killing of her granddaughter, her daughter Rebecca Gonzales, 29 — Sammy's mom — and their roommate Pamela Wenske, 41. The three were stabbed to death in their rental home, which was then set on fire.

Cambridge Elementary School Assistant Principal Jennifer Flores said it was Sammy's classmates who decided on the memorial. Adults proposed a balloon release; the fifth graders nixed it — “they said Sammy wouldn't like that because it wasn't environmentally friendly,” Flores said.

The children researched what vegetation would attract butterflies and planted the garden themselves.

“She would dye her hair, and her clothes were so neat,” Garza said of her friend since first grade. But it was “really, really hard” knowing Sammy was gone, she said.

Police have arrested Sammy's father, Conrad Ochoa, 31, and his older brother Baron Ochoa, 36, on child sex crimes charges. They are considered suspects in the triple-homicide, according to arrest warrant affidavits, but have not been charged in that case.

Both remained jailed, Conrad Ochoa on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of promotion of child pornography, his brother on two counts of continued sexual abuse of a child. Recordings on Conrad Ochoa's computer show abuse of children, including Sammy, according to court documents.

Bianchi-Peters sought to keep Sammy's father from having her remains released to a funeral home without services, and Probate Judge Polly Jackson Spencer granted a temporary restraining order last week.

Friday's hearing was to determine if the order would become permanent, but Bianchi-Peters' attorneys dropped that request and instead used probate and family laws to argue that Conrad Ochoa's arrest, though not for the homicide, should eliminate his right to decide what happens to his daughter's remains.

The judge quickly agreed. Conrad Ochoa didn't attend the hearing and wasn't represented by an attorney.

Testifying about the violent death and sexual abuse of her granddaughter just two hours before thanking fifth-graders for the garden wasn't a contradiction, Bianchi-Peters said.

“The difficult details need to be screamed” in or out of court, she said, so no other children get hurt. The garden is a reminder of their innocence, she added.

Classmates Bella Strash, 11, and J.T. Ternan, 10, said Sammy was the kid who always invited others to sit with her or play at recess.

“She was so nice and always helpful,” Ternan said.

Other students shouted out memories. Sammy wanted to be a mom and have kids when she grew up. She loved the color blue. Tomatoes were a favorite matched only by her love of Cheez-Its.